The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-11

MIR. Blaine's Comments on the Message.
Mr.. Blaines comments in an interview
on the Presidents message have attracted
almost as much attention as the message
itself. He intended probably that they
should. He pretends that he is answering
the questions of an intelligent reporter.
The impression which the interview creates,
however, is that he is the author of both
the questions and the answers, and the
length of the interview and the leading
features Of it Justify the conclusion that he
prepared it for the purpose of keeping him
self before the people.
He pretends, like the Republican organs
in this country, to believe that the Presi-
dents message Is a free trade manifesto.
and he assumes in all he says that the Presi-
dent is opposed to such Incidental protec-
ton as seems advisable OF course he knew
that such an assumption was false, because
he had a full extract of the message before
him He knew that the President said that
"in REIMBURSEMENT of our tariff the in
terest of American labor engaged in manu-
facture should be carefully considered, as
well as the preservation of our manufac-
lures" but it suited his purpose to ignore
this declaration.
Summed up, Mr.. Blaine's position in re-
gard to the tariff is this: Repeal the to-
bacco tax. retain the whisky tax, reduce
the duties on few of the least important
of the imports, and divide the surplus, if
there be any, after making liberal appro-
priations for coast defenses, among the diff
AaN 1, ~ nj
farms may be lowered. The shrewdness of
Mr.. Blaine in this programme is apparent
He aims to please the tobacco growers by
repeating the tobacco tax, the tobacco con-
sumer by making tobacco cheaper, the man
ufacturing monopolies by preserving, vir-
tually intact, the present high protective
tariff, the Prohibtionists by retaining the
whisky tax, and the farmers by using the
surplus to lower their taxes.
This is not the first time that Mr. Blaine
has suggested the distribution of the surplus
among the States He suggested it year
or more ago, when the question of the sur
plus was very generally discussed, and he
was laughed at. The people do not see the
wisdom of sending their money to the
Treasury to be distributed among them
again, particularly as they know that the
amount distributed would be much smaller
than the amount collected. They know
they will be better off by keeping it in their
pockets. And it is doubtful if they will
ever favor policy which requires heavier
taxes than are needed to meet the demands
of the government
Mr. Blaine talks about tobacco being a
necessity, because 95 out of every 100 men
either chew or smoke it. In view of the fact
that its use is almost wholly confined to men,
it certainly does not take its place among
such necessities as food and clothes. A thing
that Mr. Blaine overlooks is that consumers
of tobacco are not asking for the repeal of
the tobacco tax. They are satisfied with the
present price of it, and, besides, they have
no assurance that the repeal of the tax will
cause a reduction in its price When the tax
was reduced one-half in 1888 consumers were
not benefited.
Mr.. Blaine makes an attractive argument
in behalf of a home market but no one
wants to destroy that market, and there is
nothing to show that anything that is pro-
posed in the Presidents message will destroy
it. The meaning of Mr. Blaines interview
Is that he wants to be renominated and it
is skillfully constructed to accomplish that
object.